Frozen Memories
by RKInu241
Summary: Post arrancar arc. Hitsugaya's parents are in the Gotei 13. Problem is, Hitsugaya hates his parents. Big time. Chapter 10 REPOSTED!
1. Prologue

Okay, RkInu241 here, ready for action! Or something like that…swt… Anyway, regardless of my past failure at creating a fanfiction, I am trying AGAIN to write a story that will FINISH. Now, I won't bother with my ramblings. So, R&R!

Summary: Hitsugaya meets his parents in Soul Society, his father a taichou, his mother's a fukutaichou. But here's the catch: Hitsugaya hates his parents. Big time.

Genre: Angst/ Drama

Timeline: Post Arrancar Arc

Beta: feathersnow, Kero

Frozen Memories

Prologue

"Otousama… Okaasama…!"

It was cold. Very cold. Even when he was wearing the new sweater Okaasama had knitted for him, the cold was still there. His scarf was long gone, allowing the bitter cold to nip at his neck. The wind stung his face and his strength was slowly ebbing.

The boy fell to his knees, tired from walking. It felt like ages since he had last ate. All he could feel, was the stinging cold that had seeped into his bones.

"_Go away! You're nothing but a nuisance! A useless brat!" cried a man._

_Otousama…_thought the boy, as the last of his strength left his tiny body.

"_You're the biggest regret in my entire life!" cried a woman._

"_Why, Okaasama?"_

"_I regret giving birth to such a useless creature!"_

He could feel the snow on his face. It felt bitterly cold. Everything felt cold now. _Why am I here?_ He could fell the consciousness slipping away, black spots dancing beneath his eyes.

"_You're better off dead!" The woman threw a bowl at him._

As unconsciousness finally took over him, he noticed something. It was no longer cold.

Police discovered the body of 8-year-old Hitsugaya Toushirou after a heavy blizzard last night in North Hokkaido. Identity was confirmed by a birth certificate cataloged at the North Hokkaido General Hospital. Doctors have confirmed that cause of death was frozen to death. Death time has been confirmed to be around midnight. His parents have yet to pick the body. Accordingly, date of death also appears to be on the same day as the deceased's birthday.

**Hitsugaya Toushirou**

**1st January 1948- 1st January 1956**

**North Hokkaido Archives**

**Information last updated on 2nd January 1956**

Tsuzuku… To be continued…

How is it? Review and tell me! It only takes a push of a button and takes up only 5 minutes of your time. I'll be starting the first chapter and uploading it and soon as possible. That should be in the near future since I have a one week school break coming up. Anyway, Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 1: Breaking the IceReunion

**Ok, first chapter……I hope you guys like it…Anyway, I'd like to say thanks to xzaboo,Cerulean Soul, Death Skater, Sesshoumaru Minion, Crazy Hyper Lady and all who reviewed my story. Thank you so much. It was really nice of you. Now all I have to wonder is where the other people went. Ah well…Ok, enough of the author's note for the time being, enjoy the first chapter of Frozen Memories, Onegai Shimasu!**

**Summary: Hitsugaya meets his parents in Soul Society. His father's a taichou, his mother's a fukutaichou. But here's the catch: Hitsugaya hates his parents. Big time.**

**Genre: Drama, Angst**

**Timeline: Post Arrancar Arc**

**Beta: feathersnow, Kero (thanks you guys)**

Frozen Memories

Arc 1: Breaking the Ice

Chapter 1: Reunion

Hitsugaya Toushirou stacked the pile of neatly done paperwork at the corner of his desk.It had been two weeks after the attack on Hueco Mundo and most of the paperwork where reports on the casualties his division had received from Unohana-taichou.

During the assault, all ten remaining division captains, Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends, with Uryuu coming despite his vow to his father not to get involved with Shinigami ever again, the Vizards, and half of the Shinigami in Seireitei had traveled through the Senkaimon that had been built to take them to Hueco Mundo.

It had been a fierce battle. But through it all, somehow Soul Society managed to come out tops. They had managed to rescue Orihime, destroy the Hougyoku, and kill off Tousen and half of the Arrancar. But Aizen, Gin and the remaining Arrancar had managed to flee capture. Even so, Soul Society now had the upper hand. For now that is.

Though the battle had been won, Soul Society had also received many casualties. Komamura-taichou and Kurotsuchi-taichou had perished in battle fighting the Arrancar and a considerable amount of Shinigami that had gone had lost their lives, with the remaining survivors sporting serious injuries, putting the fourth division to work.

But the one death that effected Hitsugaya the most was that of Hinamori's, killed by Aizen himself. But even at the end, she pleaded to him, telling him Aizen was innocent, that he was being controlled. Hitsugaya vowed that despite all her protests, he would send Aizen to hell with his own hands.

Pushing aside painful memories, Hitsugaya thought of more recent happenings. The lost of five captains and a few vice captains had left Gotei 13 slightly shorthanded. Fortunately, all remaining spots had been filled relatively quickly. Yamamoto sou-taichou had invited Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi back to Soul Society. Both had accepted, with Urahara rejoining the twelfth division as captain and Shihouin Yoruichi as third division captain.

Abarai Renji had been promoted to fifth division captain a week ago, filling up the position that had been empty for a long time. Another problem that surfaced was that Ukitake-taichou's health, had deteriorated after the battle at Hueco Mundo, thus not being able to resume captaincy at the thirteenth division. But Kurosaki Ichigo readily took the position as a part-time job, with Kuchiki Rukia promoted to vice captain to help him out.

A new Shinigami had taken captaincy at the ninth division. Hitsugaya had already met with Kiyoshirou Ryuuhara and found her suitable for the position. The amber-eyed female kept her long ebony hair in a samurai's topknot and looked somewhat around eighteen-years-old. She was quite clever and talented, albeit slightly annoying and mysterious in the ways she does her work.

From what Hitsugaya had heard from Matsumoto, Kiyoshirou Ryuuhara had been top at everything in her class at Shinigami School and had managed to finish the whole course in one year, achieving Shinkai and Bankai as fast as him. Another prodigal genius, mused Hitsugaya, taking a sip of his favorite tea.

If he remembered correctly, the position for the captain of the seventh division had just been filled yesterday. This new captain had insisted on having his wife as his vice-captain, having Iba Tetsuzaemon move to the second division. From what he knew, the new seventh division captain and vice-captain had finished the four year Shinigami course in three, with the captain just achieving Bankai a week ago. The remaining two vice-captain posts had been filled by the third seats.

Yamamoto sou-taichou had called for a meeting for captains and vice-captains that would be held today to introduce the new additions and discuss important matters that needed tending to. Hitsugaya hadn't met with the new seventh division captain yet, but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like him and his vice at all. And Hitsugaya Toushirou was one who trusted his instincts.

Instinct aside, it was almost time for the meeting, and Yamamoto sou-taichou had said there were important matters to discuss about. Hitsugaya sighed and got up from his seat behind the desk. After arousing a still groggy Matsumoto, they made their way to the first meeting room. Along the way, they met Ichigo, Rukia, Ryuuhara and Hisagi.

"Hey, what do you guys know about the new captain and vice captain?" inquired Ichigo, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them.

"From what I've heard, they seem pretty proud people," said Hisagi. "They think that they're good since they finished the course faster than the others."

"That's not very fast," commented Rukia. "Kaien-dono, Kiyoshirou-taichou and Hitsugaya-taichou finished the course in one year. Plus, Ichigo was born Shinigami."

"Born Shinigami?" said Hisagi. "What does that mean?"

"It means," began Ichigo. "That my father was a taichou and my mother had high reiatsu level, so I was born with Shinigami powers from the start."

"Oh…That means that if it weren't for your parents, you wouldn't even be a Shinigami," added Hisagi.

"Hey, don't insult me!"

I am not!"

"Ichigo, don't always take these kind of comments as an insult!" cried Rukia.

"I do not always take comments like that as an insult!"

"Do to!"

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

As the three of them bickered, Hitsugaya chatted with Ryuuhara. Matsumoto had kept silent and payed attention to the squabble in front of them, sighing and smiling at their little antics.

"What do you think of the new captain and vice-captain, Hitsugaya-kun?" asked Ryuuhara.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou," replied Hitsugaya snidely. "And in my point of view, I shouldn't judge people before meeting them. But my instincts tell me it's not a meeting for me to look forward to."

"Oh, really? What makes you say that Hitsugaya-kun?"

"Sigh… I don't know. It's just instinct."

"What if they we're people you hate?"

'_That's a strange question.'_ "I won't know till I meet them."

"Then I suggest you prepare yourself."

'_Prepare myself?' _"For what?"

"Taichou, we've reached," whispered Matsumoto, breaking into their conversation just as they reached the door of the first meeting room. Hitsugaya turned to face Ryuuhara again, but she had already walked into the first meeting room with the rest.

Hitsugaya followed suit with Matsumoto in tow. He noticed that the new captain and his vice hadn't arrived yet_. Yamamoto sou-taichou must want to introduce them properly to everyone_, thought Hitsugaya. His mind wandered back to the conversation he had had with Ryuuhara. What was it that was setting his instincts on hyper alert? What had Ryuuhara meant by having to prepare himself?

"Is everyone present?" Yamamoto sou-taichou's voice interrupted Hitsugaya's train of thoughts. "Good. Now, I would like to introduce the new seventh division captain and vice-captain to you all."

The doors slowly opened to reveal a middle-aged man and woman. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

'_It can't be…'_

The man marched in confidently, only to stop in his tracks upon seeing Hitsugaya. His face paled and his mouth hanged open. The expression on the woman's face behind him was close to similar.

"Tou…Toushirou, is that really you?" stammered the woman.

'_It's not possible…'_

"Taichou, you know them?" whispered Matsumoto. All eyes were on him.

"Everyone," began Yamamoto sou-taichou. "Meet Hitsugaya Getsushirou and his wife Renhana."

Hitsugaya should have known better.

"Or in other words,"Yamamoto added. "Tenth division captain Hitsugaya Toushirou's parents."

"On the contrary, Yamamoto sou-taichou," began Hitsugaya, his eyes as cold as the ice he wielded. "They're not my parents."

Everyone stared at him, wondering what he meant.

"How can they be?"

The temperature dropped by the second.

"When they're the ones who killed me."

**(Trumpet blare) Cliffhanger! Or something like a cliffhanger…So what do you guys think? Good? Bad? Fantastic? Totally sucks? Well, review and tell me. It only takes a push of the button at the bottom left hand side of the screen. Flames welcomed. I'll be starting on the next chapter quite soon, since the inspiration bunny seems to be hopping about in my brain for the time being. Anyway, see you soon! **


	3. Chapter 2:Breaking the IceTell Me

**RkInu241 here! I'm very happy. The story seems to be having quite good reception from reviewers. Thanks so much. Special thanks to Kracken l.w, Lady Light, Crazy Hyper Lady, 0shay0, Sesshoumaru Minion and Cerulean Soul for reviewing the last chapter. Also, anonymous reviews for Frozen Memories have been enabled! Thank you again Kracken l.w for telling me. Now, enough with the talk. Enjoy the second chapter of Frozen Memories, Onegai Shimasu!**

**Summary: Hitsugaya meets his parents in Soul Society. His father's a captain, his mother's a vice captain. But here's the catch: Hitsugaya hates his parents. Big time.**

**Genre: Drama/ Angst**

**Timeline: Post Arrancar Arc**

**Beta: feathersnow, Kero**

Frozen Memories

Arc 1: Breaking the Ice

Chapter 2: Tell Me

"How can they be my parents when they're the ones who killed me?"

Everyone stared at Hitsugaya, shocked at what he'd just said. Some of them shivered, but not from the cold. The way he had said it, cold, calculating and deadly, was enough to send shivers down their spines.

"How can you say that, Toushirou?" cried Renhana, bursting into tears. "I was heartbroken when you died."

"Don't you dare lie to me!" snapped Hitsugaya. "Do you think I'm that stupid! I saw what you were doing after I died! Don't you dare tell me that you were heartbroken when you were doing that!"

"What do you mean? Your mother loves you more than anything!" cried Getsushirou, red in the face. He looked about ready to hit him.

"Shut up! You're lying!"

"Toushirou!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Listen to me!"

"_Just SHUT UP!_"

The wind howled as Hitsugaya screamed, making the Shinigami in the room shield their faces from the freezing gust of air. He spun around to face Getsushirou and Renhana.

"I hate you! I hate you as much as I hate Aizen! I'll hate you till I die! I'll hate you even after I've been reborn! I'll hate you forever!"

With that, Hitsugaya stormed out of the room, leaving behind a worried vice-captain confused Shinigami, a hysterical woman and a red-faced man. But he didn't care. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted the voices to stop. He didn't want them to see him like this. He didn't want them to see him looking like the child he was.

Hitsugaya didn't want them to see the tears in his eyes.

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After Hitsugaya left, the whole room as thrown into chaos. Matsumoto stared at the door, where her captain had stormed through not long ago. She was worried. It wasn't like him to lose his temper in public. It also wasn't like him to openly declare his hatred for anyone except Aizen.

Renhana was in hysterics, her husband comforting her. '_What is it that taichou hates so much about them?'_ thought Matsumoto. She wanted to follow Hitsugaya, but she knew he most likely wanted to be left alone for now. Yamamoto sou-taichou decided he had had enough of the ruckus being made.

"Everyone, calm down. There is no need for alarm," he said, banging his staff on the ground. "We will excuse Hitsugaya-taichou for today. We shall continue with the meeting at once."

After that, the meeting resumed with a calm air. But even as Yamamoto sou-taichou was discussing important matters, Matsumoto couldn't pay attention at all. She stared blankly at the empty space in front of her where Hitsugaya was supposed to stand. It felt strange not being able to see her captain's back in front of her, paying attention as he always did.

When Yamamoto sou-taichou announced the meeting had come to its end, Matsumoto was the first out of the room. She had to find her captain. She needed to know he was alright. She wanted to make sure of it. She wanted to know why her captain hated his parents so much.

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"_Okaasama, look at these flowers!"_

_A little boy of six handed a small bunch of flowers he had picked from the field to his mother. She took them from his tiny hands and sniffed them. She smiled at him._

"_Thank you, Shirou-chan! That's so kind of you."_

"_I picked them just for you, Okaasama!"_

"_It's too bad…"_

"_Okaasama?"_

"_That you have to die."_

_The boy was no longer in the backyard of his house. His mother was no longer there. It was no longer warm. He was in the middle of nowhere. There was nobody there. And it was cold. Very cold._

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0_

Hitsugaya woke up in a cold sweat, his breath coming out in hoarse gasps. Looking around, he saw that he was still on the roof of his office. He sighed. _'Just another nightmare.'_ He hadn't had a nightmare in quite a long time.

"Taichou! There you are!" Hitsugaya almost fell off the roof when Matsumoto appeared beside him.

"Taichou, are you alright? That was quite an outburst back there," said Matsumoto worriedly. Hitsugaya didn't look at her.

"What did Yamamoto sou-taichou say?" He couldn't bring himself to look at her. Not yet.

"He didn't say anything about it."

Silence fell.

"Taichou, look at me."

More silence. But Matsumoto wasn't going to take that as an answer. Grabbing Hitsugaya's shoulder, she spun him around to face her. She frowned when she saw his face, concern clearly written on her face. She stated simply. "You've been crying, haven't you?"

"No." But his eyes told a different story. They were red and swollen from all the tears they had shed.

"Taichou, please tell me what's wrong. Why do you hate them so much?"

"It's not something for you to worry about."

"It is when you lose your temper in public."

"It's nothing."

"It's _not_ nothing when you say you hate your parents as much as you hate Aizen."

The roof tiles looked very interesting at that moment.

"Taichou, I'm begging you. Tell me what's wrong."

"Will you please let go of me?"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Hitsugaya sighed and steeled himself. He didn't want to do this at the moment. Nor did he want the concern Matsumoto was showing to him. But he knew she wouldn't give up or stop worrying until he told her what was wrong.

"This is going to be a long story."

"I'm a patient listener when I want to be."

'_Looks like there's no way out of this.' _

"Fine. I'll tell you."

**Okay, I'm stopping here. I don't want my chapters to be to long incase you guys get bored from having to read something long. The next chapter should be up soon. I was planning on only writing one chapter on Hitsugaya's past, but then it'll be too long. Anyway, tell me what you think. Was it good, or was it disappointing? Review and tell me. It only takes a press of the little purple button at the bottom left corner of the screen. Please and thank you! Bye! **


	4. Chapter 3:Breaking the IceEasier

**Hi, Minna! RkInu241 here! I hope I didn't make you guys wait to long for this chapter. I will be going back to my grandmother's place, and unfortunately, she doesn't have internet service there. And after that, school's starting again. So the updates will be a bit slower. But, I'll make sure to put up one chapter every fortnight at least to keep you guys satisfied.**

**Anyway, I had a little trouble sorting out Hitsugaya's past. In the beginning I was pretty sure of myself and the storyline. But when it came down to this little junction, I thought that what I'm trying to portray may be very hard to understand. I am still going to follow my original plan, and I hope you guys like it.**

**Special thanks to xzaboo, Cerulean Soul, Crazy Hyper Lady, Nobody Important, OshayO, Neko-Kikiru, Meesch, DarkWolfAngel187, Lady Light and Sesshoumaru Minion for reviewing my last chapter. Now, I end the small talk and hope that you enjoy this chapter of Frozen Memories as much as the previous chapters. Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!**

**Summary: Hitsugaya meets his parents in Soul Society. His father's a captain, his mother's a vice captain. But here's the catch: Hitsugaya hates his parents. Big time.**

**Genre: Drama/Angst**

**Timeline: Post Arrancar Arc**

**Beta: feathersnow, Kero**

Frozen Memories

Arc 1: Breaking the Ice

Chapter 3: It's Easier to hate Than to Love

"Okaasama, Look at these flowers!"

A six-year-old Hitsugaya Toushirou handed a little bunch of flowers he had picked from the field to his mother. She took them from his tiny hands and smelled them. She smiled at him.

"Thank you, Shirou-chan," she said.

"I picked them just for you, Okaasama!"

At that moment, the gate to the backyard swung open and a middle aged man walked in. The man's face broke into a wide smile and his azure eyes sparkled with joy and contentment. His long ebony hair was tied in a topknot, making the man look somewhat regal in bearing. Hitsugaya's mother walked over and gave the man a peck on the cheek.

"How was work, anata?" she asked as she took the man's coat.

"We're doing fairly alright considering it's been almost nine years since World War two. Though there have been a few complications, our business is so far stable and slowly improving."

"Otousama, welcome home!" A hyper Hitsugaya flung himself at his father, catching him in a tight hug.

"How's my little boy doing?" said the man, ruffling Hitsugaya's hair.

"I'm not little! I'm already six years old!"

"Yes, yes. But until you grow as tall as me, you'll still be LITTLE Shirou-chan."

"I will grow as tall as you, Otousama! After all, I'm your son."

"Now, now both of you. Dinner's ready. Let's go inside."

"Hai, Okaasama!"

"That be great, Ren. I'm starving too."

"Really, the both of you are so alike."

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"Hold up, taichou! If you and your folks had such a good relationship, then why do you say that they're the ones who killed you?"

"Like I said, it's a long story. The hatred they had towards me more likely started when the country's business dropped suddenly."

"How would that affect your father?"

"Getsushirou was the finance minister of Japan at that time."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"This isn't possible! The damn French had to drop rates when we're asleep! We've most likely lost about half a million in U.S dollars!"

"How terrible! What's going to happen to our country now?"

"The rate of our Yen has dropped considerably thanks to them. But if all goes well, we can have it back up by the end of the year."

A seven year old Hitsugaya listened as his father told his mother about the problems he was having. Hitsugaya was worried. He had never seen his father so angry in all his life. He wished he could do something to help him, but he had no idea what to do, especially when I came to finance. He didn't know anything about how finance worked at all. But what Hitsugaya heard next shocked him terribly."

"Toushirou couldn't be anymore useless in this situation."

'_What?'_ Hitsugaya's heart skipped a beat.

"Anata, you shouldn't say that. Toushirou is a bright boy. His marks at school are at the top of the whole school. Mind you, school, not class."

"Even so, he's no good at finance. He's more likely to fling a sword around and do paperwork than trying to do hard core business. He's never going to make it in the future if that's all he can do. He may as well be like those spirits we see everyday, wandering about aimlessly as carefree as anything."

Hitsugaya thought his father was a bit wrong on that fact. He believed that the spirits that his family could see where still wandering about here because they were looking for their family. He also thought that spirits like that were lonely and sad, not one bit carefree at all. Suddenly the door he was hiding behind was flung open, revealing a very angry Getsushirou.

"Go away! You're nothing but a nuisance! A useless brat!" Hitsugaya could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Go back upstairs! Sneaking in on conversations is the most cowardly act I've ever seen!"

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"Wait a minute, taichou! Your family could see spirits!"

"Yes, but I was the only one who could see Shinigami."

Okay… Well Taichou in my opinion, he was alittle harsh on you. You weren't even reaching maturity yet."

"Getsushirou thought that I wouldn't be of any help in the long run. I suppose it's more likely due to his sense of honor."

"Sense of honor?"

"He was a man brought up in the code of bushido. At my age, he was already on the battle field and helping out in the war."

"So he thought that you were useless because you didn't even help him?"

"I guess it was sort of like that. After that day my relationship with my father was never the same."

"It must have been hard on you."

"You could say that."

"What about your mom? Didn't she still love you despite the relationship between you and your father?"

"Not quite. Renhana liked taking sides during arguments. It didn't help much when she took Getsushirou's side of the argument."

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"Toushirou! How can you be so useless! Can't you even do simple chores right? You really are useless."

Hitsugaya Toushirou was sad. It wasn't just his father now, it was both his parents. He wondered how it could have turned out like this. They had been happy together just half a year ago, and now his parents were blaming him for every single mistake or mishap that happened, be it little or big.

"You're the biggest regret in my entire life!"

"Why, Okaasama?" he asked in a small voice.

"I regret giving birth to such a useless creature! You're better of dead!" She threw a bowl at him.

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"She really said that? I thought she said she was heartbroken when you died!"

"I don't know either. Maybe she did regret. But on the other hand, she may be lying."

"Well, you still haven't explained why you said that they're the ones that killed you?"

"To be more exact, Matsumoto, they left me for dead. So in a way, they did kill me."

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"Toushirou, here," his mother shoved a sweater at him. "Take it as an early birthday present. I don't want to have to hear you whine to me saying that I haven't given you one."

Hitsugaya took the sweater with a heavy heart. His mother wasn't even giving him much attention. It was as if he was only a burden to her. The reason she had given him the gift was because one of the neighbors had complimented that he looked half-frozen. There wasn't a single thread of love in it at all. Suddenly, his father walked into the room.

"Toushirou, get dressed. We're going out." Without looking back, his father marched out of the room. Hitsugaya sighed and got up. If he didn't hurry, his father would complain and say that he was useless, as usual. Over the past months, he had gotten used to his parent's scolding and lack of attention.

After getting dressed, Hitsugaya left with his father in the car. As his father drove, Hitsugaya watched as the scenery flashed by. He could see the whole town flashing by before his eyes. Soon, the scenery changed to that of a forest and Hitsugaya couldn't recognize where they were.

Soon, the car screeched into a halt. Hitsugaya's father then promptly dragged him out of the car and into the forest. He was confused when his father finally let go of his hand. Turning around, his father took one look for him and made a dash for the car. Hitsugaya was shocked. He immediately gave chase. But he was too late.

As the car drove off all he could do was watch it disappear own the road. At that moment, he noticed that it was getting very cold.

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"Taichou, he really left you there?"

"Ah. After that, I wandered around for a while and died from the cold. As a soul, I made it back to my home. But even though they could see me, they didn't care. They just left me there, not even looking at me or paying attention to me."

Matsumoto couldn't believe her ears. Even though they had abandoned him, he had gone back. But still they ignored him like he wasn't there. _'It must have been hard on taichou'_, thought Matsumoto as she looked at her captain. She was still holding onto him, for fear that if she let go he wouldn't tell her anymore.

"When I was sent to Soul Society, I decided I wasn't going to care", he continued. "That it hurt to much to love. I decided that I would hate them. Even if they said that they loved me again, that I would still hate them. So, that's how it is. Matsumoto?"

Matsumoto couldn't keep the tears from forming. She thought about the loneliness Hitsugaya had felt when his parents ignored him, about the way that he had decided that it was easier to hate than to love his parents. She couldn't help herself when she gathered her captain in a hug. She was glad, however that he didn't object to her doing so.

**I hope this chapter has met your expectations. If you want to tell me whether it has made you cry or made you feel disappointed, then review and tell me. It only takes a push of the little purple button at the bottom left hand corner of the screen. Flames invited. Until the next chapter, Ja ne! **


	5. Chapter 4: The Real KeySearching for

**Hi, Minna! RkInu241 here. I hope I didn't make all of you wait to long for this chapter. I was thinking on adding one more chapter to this story and put the second arc as the sequel, but since I already wrote the arcs, I'll carry on putting up the chapters on Frozen Memories. I was going to write something else for this chapter, but instead decided that it didn't flow very well with the current storyline. Thus, I'll be delaying that scene. Instead, I skip on to the chapter plot for the first chapter of the second arc. I hope you didn't find the first arc short. Anyway, if I continue rambling you guys would feel bored. So please enjoy the fourth chapter of Frozen Memories, Onegai Shimasu!**

**Special thanks to tsuki-fluffysama777, Death Skater, Crazy Hyper Lady, OShayO, Sesshoumaru Minion, Lady Light, LiL DraGoNs2er and Cerulean Soul for reviewing the last chapter. You guys made me feel like real glad that you thought the chapter and story was nice.**

**Summary: Hitsugaya meets his parents in Soul Society. His father is a captain, his mother's a vice captain. But here's the catch: Hitsugaya hates his parents. Big time. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing in Soul Society as spirits and Shinigami alike are disappearing suddenly, and it doesn't help that there are more Hollows and Menos appearing in places that they shouldn't be. Is this Aizen's new plan to traverse into the Spirit King's domain? What has Hitsugaya got to do with all this?**

**Spoilers: Until the latest Bleach manga**

**Genre: Drama/ Angst**

**Beta: feathersnow, Kero**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and its characters, but the OC's and storyline do belong to me.**

Frozen Memories

Arc 2: The Real Key 

Chapter 4: Searching for Truth

Hitsugaya had apologized at the meeting the next day for the outburst. Everyone except Getsushirou had brushed the incident off as a rare display of the tenth division captain's temper. Work had resumed at a considerably normal pace after that, with the new captains soon getting the gist of the work, with a little help from their vices here and there.

The only thing that bothered him now was that during every meeting the captains had, Getsushirou eyes would always bore into Hitsugaya, as if trying to understand how he had managed to rise into the ranks. If that wasn't enough, every idea or plan that Hitsugaya had suggested would immediately be contested on by the man, pointing out all the faults he could find.

Hitsugaya didn't pay much heed to him and neither did any of the captains. Unless the fault could cause grave danger to Soul Society, most captains found his plans trustworthy and capable. The other captain's believed in Hitsugaya's sound judgments more than the way Getsushirou did his work, and knew that the child prodigy wouldn't mind if in circumstances his plan was revoked or changed for the better good of Soul Society.

During every meeting, Getsushirou would try to outshine the other captains by pointing out their own personal faults. This had nearly cost him his life at a few times. Such examples were when he commented that Zaraki, Abarai and Ichigo were incapable at leading their own divisions. Three said would have pummeled him into a bloody pulp if Yamamoto sou-taichou hadn't stopped them from doing so.

Another such example was when he said Yoruichi had shamed the name of a royal family by affiliating with a commoner and thus unfit for captaincy. He'd lost a few strands of hair when Soi Fong had thrown a kidou attack at him in defense of her favorite mentor. But even though Yamamoto sou-taichou had advised the man against commenting, Getsushirou stubbornly turned a deaf ear on the warning.

Getsushirou had been wise enough though not to comment on Yamamoto sou-taichou, Kuchiki-taichou and Ryuuhara. Commenting on Yamamoto sou-taichou would immediately have him lose his job, and Kuchiki-taichou and Ryuuhara didn't have any noticeable faults. Besides, they weren't easy to restrain when they were mad.

Getsushirou had commented once that Hitsugaya was still in infancy and his Bankai was incomplete, so he wasn't ready for captaincy. The man had immediately clammed up when the temperature of the room dropped a few noticable degrees. After that, he hadn't tried making anymore comments on Hitsugaya, though he would still stare at him sullenly.

Though Getsushirou had commented on Unohana-taichou being too soft and Urahara and Kyouraku being slackers, the three had shrugged the comments off as if it was nothing, making no movement to acknowledge or take notice of the comment directed at them. Getsushirou still commented about the captains, but that had severely lessened over the months.

It had been half a year after the new captains had entered when the problems started. It had been a minor case of spirits disappearing around Rukongai randomly until a severe amount of them had gone missing. Not only that, Shinigami from all the divisions had been disappearing too. Whether they were Onmitsukidou or seated officers, they were going missing all the same.

It bothered Gotei 13 that there was no trace of the people that disappeared or how they were abducted. Already ten seated officers including two vice captains had already disappeared, and Yamamoto sou-taichou had ordered war time order on all Shinigami. Even so, the disappearances still continued and soon enough a large number of spirits were reported be missing.

Yamamoto sou-taichou had entrusted the case with Yoruichi, Urahara, Soi Fong, Kuchiki-taichou and Kyouraku-taichou to deal with. Getsushirou had volunteered to help but he had been dismissed with the reason that it would be best to leave the case in trained and capable hands.

Hitsugaya was strangely, not included in the investigation, but Hitsugaya decided that Yamamoto sou-taichou didn't want Getsushirou complaining at the moment. For now, he kept himself busy by finishing reports and going about his division's daily Hollow patrol. He would wait for the result of the investigation's survey of the situation, and help the best he could when needed.

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Urahara couldn't remember when there had been such peculiar disappearances during his time, and neither did any of the captains that were investigating this case. There was absolutely no trace of the missing spirits and Shinigami, and the Hollows and Menos weren't changing back into spirits after they were slashed, so that ruled out the possibility of them being the missing spirits.

One thing they were knew was that this was all Aizen's doing. When they had last encountered, a door that was engraved with the royal family emblems that lead to the Spirit King's domain had appeared in the middle of Karakura city. The doors luckily had remained closed and that had stopped Aizen's plans and assured the Shinigami victory. The door had disappeared after the battle, leaving Karakura City unscathe.

Urahara knew that Aizen had missed out the most important thing. The key to the door. However, no visible key hole was seen engraved into the door. Only a circle with intricate markings had appeared before Aizen's feet, with the doors looming behind it. They had decided that the key was more likely a who, not a what. The only question is who it is.

The recent kidnappings had to be Aizen's latest attempts at finding the key. With the way the kidnappings were increasing rapidly, they had concluded that he hadn't found the right person yet, but with the rate it was going Aizen would find the key in no time. Unless Soul Society found him or her first.

Byakuya had managed to find something on the so-called Key by looking through the family archives. It seemed that the key, or O-Tenkagi as the people had called the person in the olden days, only appeared every millennium when the planets aligned. The description of the O-Tenkagi was vague, and the gender was unknown.

According to what was said in the archives, the O-Tenkagi was a being that resembled the highest purity and contained a power beyond its capacity. Urahara had decided that according to the line saying that the spirit had power beyond its capacity, the spirit had strong reiatsu and could be somewhere around captain level.. The meaning of the word purity though, had completely stumped the investigation team.

Each had a different opinion on what purity meant, and they had no idea which meaning was the right one. Now, as Urahara sat in front of the computer screen in the twelfth division pondering on the problem, he made his final decision. Putting the file down, he made his way to the first meeting room. The rest would be there with Yamamoto sou-taichou.

Urahara fervently hoped their deductions were right, otherwise they'd be protecting the wrong person.

**Ok, what do you guys think? I think I made out who was the O-Tenkagi was very, very clear. If you guys have any comment on this chapter, be it good or bad, please don't hesitate to review and tell me. It only takes a push of the little purple button at the bottom left hand corner of the screen and a few minutes of your time. Anyway, I really hope this chapter met your expectations. I will post the next chapter as fast as I can. For now, Ja ne!**


	6. Chapter 5:The Real KeyUnveil the Truth

**Hi, Minna! RkInu241 here. Sorry for the delay. I am going to have my end year examinations, so I won't be able to go online for a while. I had a plot bunny that suggested character death pop up in front of me. My beta's friend promptly declared that she would hate the story if Hitsu-chan's going to die. Well, I do see a way around character death, but it leaves me with no sequel. Not that it matters, but I'd like to do one for Frozen Memories. I'm boring you with this talk so let's carry on. Enjoy the fifth chapter of Frozen Memories as much as the previous chapters, Onegai Shimasu!**

**Special thanks to oxXxKRaD's NUmBEr 1 fANxXxo, stealth67, Crazy Chick 963, whee, Yozora Nozomi, Waizard, Silverlode, Lil DraGoNs2er, Alexys, Cerulean Soul, BankotsuAngel, tsuki-fluffysama777, DeathSkater, Jay Kamiya, Lady Light, Crazy Hyper Lady and H.E.Y.T.S for reviewing for the previous chapter of Frozen Memories.**

**Summary: Hitsugaya meets his parents in Soul Society. His father is a captain, his mother's a vice captain. But here's the catch: Hitsugaya hates his parents. Big time. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing in Soul Society as spirits and Shinigami alike are disappearing suddenly, and it doesn't help that there are more Hollows and Menos appearing in places that they shouldn't be. Is this Aizen's new plan to traverse into the Spirit King's domain? What has Hitsugaya got to do with all this?**

**Spoilers: Until the latest Bleach manga**

**Genre: Drama/ Angst**

**Timeline: Post Arrancar Arc**

**Beta: feathersnow, Kero**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and its characters, but the OC's and storyline do belong to me.**

Frozen Memories

Arc 2: The Real Key

Chapter 5: Unveil the Truth

As the warm sun beat down on his back and the cool wind ruffled his hair, Hitsugaya knew he was being followed. Even so, it didn't come as a surprise to him. From the moment she had found out about him until now, she would always follow him. Whenever he went out to drop his paperwork or go to meetings, even when he went to the fourth division to stock up on his ink supply.

When she first started following him, he had tried losing her, running suddenly into alleyways and bypasses, twisting and turning left and right, here and there. But no matter how much he tried or how fast he went, she still remained persistent, catching up with him at the next corner. He had long since stopped trying to lose her.

As he rounded another corner he noticed a movement behind him, and a tuft of black hair poking out behind the wall. He sighed. Even though she did a pretty good job keeping up with him, it seemed like she needed to work on how to conceal her self properly. She was way too obvious.

Now and then, when Hitsugaya came back from his patrols, he'd find some sweets placed on his desk. He always threw them into the bin without a second glance. But still they would appear out of nowhere, even though she knew he never even touched them at all.

He'd heard from Matsumoto that every time after the meetings, when she had a chance she would ask her about what he liked. From the things he ate, right down to every little habit and quirk, until the point where Hitsugaya didn't know whether to be flattered or offended at this invasion of privacy.

Even so, he still allowed her to follow him, spy on him, sneak into his office and leave little treats. With the rate it was going, it seemed like she wanted to reconcile with him. But didn't she say she hated him? Didn't she say he was better off dead? She may be his mother by blood, but it seemed pointless to him.

Honestly, Hitsugaya had no idea how Renhana's mind worked.

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Urahara looked around the first meeting room to see whether everyone was here. After he was sure of the affirmative, he began explaining to all the captains and vices in Gotei 13 about what the investigation team had researched and found. As he began, he hoped that his voice didn't sound as nervous as he was feeling.

"As you all know, our last encounter with Aizen had turned out victorious for us. Now, he has a plan up his sleeve, which may once again put Soul Society at peril unless we turn the tables on him. Right now, the missing disappearances have something to do with his latest scheme, finding the key to the door that will lead to the Spirit King's realm. That is the O-tenkagi."

As he looked around, he noted the faces of attentiveness and expectation. They were waiting for him to carry on.

"We have managed to uncover a phrase, no matter how small, on the O-tenkagi from the Kuchiki family archives," he stopped to flip open the file in his hand. "The O-tenkagi is a spirit of the highest purity and contains a power beyond its capacity. From this verse, we know the key is a person, which explains the array. A power beyond its capacity suggests a genius at captain level."

Everyone was staring at Hitsugaya and Ryuuhara. Hitsugaya seemed surprised but Ryuuhara only wore an expression of nonchalance. Her atitude didn't seem to suit the situation, but Urahara knew she'd understand the depth of it soon enough. He continued with more vigor.

"And for the last part, we believe that the verse highest purity means a female virgin. Thus, the O-tenkagi according to our research is Kiyoshirou Ryuuhara-taichou."

As everyone turned their stares on her, the only thing she did was raise an eyebrow and ask, "Are you absolutely sure that you can tell who it is base on this little result?"

Urahara replied, hoping that he didn't sound uncertain . "Yes, since that's all there is."

"Then I suggest you look a bit closer."

Before anyone else could say anything, a messenger burst into the room. "Aizen has been spotted at the center square of Karakura town !"

**Is that cliffhanging enough? Is the story alright? It's a little short today. Review and tell me. It only takes a minute of your time and a click of the little purple button at the bottom left hand side of the screen. Until the next chapter, Ja ne!**


	7. Chapter 6:The Real KeyUnbounded Truth

Hi, Minna! Sorry I didn't update sooner. I was having exams (I got 8th position in class! Whaaiii!)and had a slight writer's block. Even though I DO plan the storyline and what to write during for the chapter, I sometimes lose that little touch on writing. Anyway, I hope all you people who were expecting this story to update will forgive me…As a peace offering I give you a somewhat longer chapter. Hope you enjoy! Note: I will only be writing the disclaimer from now on. I hope you guys don't mind.

_Special thanks to blank, Primeval Eidolon Scar, SM, SadisticHumour, Lucifer, Yozora Nozomi, Alexys, Jay Kamiya, whee!, Yukiko Tsukishirou, Crazy Hyper Lady, H.E.Y.T.S., Crazy Chick 963, stealth67, Rain2708, BankotsuAngel, LiL DraGoNs2er, oxXxSHoRTy CHaNxXxo, OShayO and Sesshoumaru Minion for reviewing my last chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and its characters, but the OCs and storyline do belong to me._

**

* * *

Frozen Memories**

Arc 2: The Real Key

Chapter 6: Unbounded Truth 

As they walked to the Senkaimon that would send them to the Human world, Hitsugaya took this moment to reflect on the events that had recently taken place upon the reappearance of Aizen.

After having reconfirmed with the messenger on the validity of the message, Yamamoto sou-taichou had given out orders to Hitsugaya, Getsushirou, Renji and Ichigo to go to the Human world to prevent Aizen from carrying out whatever he planned at all costs. They had been allowed to bring their vice captains if they thought that their second could be of any help. As they had been about to leave, Ryuuhara had protested vehemently on Hitsugaya's going.

"Wait," Ryuuhara had said. "Why not have Zaraki-taichou go instead of Hitsugaya-taichou. Even though Zaraki-taichou hasn't mastered Shikai yet, his reiatsu is quite formidable. He would be able to hold out against the Arrancar as well as Hitsugaya-taichou."

"What makes you say that, Kiyoshirou-taichou?" Yamamoto sou-taichou had questioned, an eyebrow raised. "Why does Hitsugaya-taichou need to stay here?"

"It is not an established fact that I'm the O-tenkagi as of yet. There may be a chance -no matter how small- that the hypothesis made by the investigation isn't fully correct. You're basing what you know on only one phrase. It would be safer if Hitsugaya-taichou –as he is also a candidate in this introspection- to stay here for incase." That had been her reply.

There had been an uncanny silence before anyone said anything. When someone finally said anything, it had been Urahara that dispelled the silence.

"Kiyoshirou-taichou," he had said, eyes hooded, no one able to see whether he had had any doubts about the hypothesis. "I know you're concerned, and Zaraki-taichou could make a good substitute, but it would not be wise to send someone who has no Bankai to face Aizen. Hitsugaya-taichou's Bankai has improved since his last encounter with Aizen, so it would be wiser to send Hitsugaya-taichou."

Ryuuhara had been about to protest further, but Yamamoto sou-taichou had silenced her by promising to have the investigation team check the diary again to make sure. She had looked like she was going to say something then, but decided against it and chose to say nothing. She had however looked at Hitsugaya quite pointedly as he left the first meeting room. There had been something in that stare that unnerved him, but he couldn't name that feeling.

They were not far from the Senkaimon when Hitsugaya was pulled out of his musings by Getsushirou who suddenly pulled up to walk beside him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Matsumoto -which he opted to bring with him- distracted by Renhana; why Getsushirou had brought her along was a total mystery. They walked in silence for a while before either said anything. It was no surprise that the one who instigated the conversation was Getsushirou.

"Why do they call you Hitsugaya-taichou when we both have the same first names?"

"Quit the wisecracks and cut to the chase, Getsushirou," Hitsugaya said dryly. "I'm not here to satisfy your curiosity."

"Can't we be more civilized?"

"Aren't we civilized enough already?"

"You're quite a prick."

"At least I'm not an antagonist."

There was a long silence before either spoke. This time Hitsugaya was the one that started the conversation.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be cheeky. Why are you even talking to me?"

"You were the one that started this conversation."

"Oh forget it."

Hitsugaya couldn't have been more annoyed. It felt as if Getsushirou was playing with him. He would have liked to punch the man in the eye for all he cared; but they were reaching the door, and it wouldn't do his honor any good to hit the man in front of anyone. However, before they reached the Senkaimon, Getsushirou turned to face him, straight in the eye.

"Look, I know you hate me to the seven hells, but I would like it if we were at least a bit friendlier."

"That's not for you to decide."

"I'm your father for god's sake. Can't you…"

"Would a father abandon his own flesh and blood in the middle of nowhere?" Hitsugaya remarked dryly, cutting Getsushirou off.

The man was staring at him wide eyed and gaping. Even Renhana had stopped rambling, and was looking at him with the same expression as Getsushirou- shock. But before either could come up with anything to say, Hitsugaya had entered the Senkaimon with Matsumoto following behind him.

* * *

Byakuya flipped though the diary for what seemed to be the fifth time. Upon Ryuuhara's insistence, Urahara had asked him to search through the diary again for any other references to the O-tenkagi. As if he himself hadn't done that.

Just to be on the safe side, he had checked the book more than three times. Now, as he closed the book with a resounding snap, he was quite ready to say that the phrase found earlier on was the only reference to the O-tenkagi there was. As he was about to put the book back onto the shelf, he noticed something sticking out of the spine of the book.

Carefully, he pulled out the mysterious object. Upon further inspection, the object was a piece of rolled parchment, yellow from spending decades in the library, just like the pages of the diary. Suddenly, it struck him; there had been a rip after the initial phrase, but since the phrase was complete they thought the ripped off part was only blank. They should have known better. One glance at the words written on the paper was enough to confirm his suspicions.

Getting up, he made his way to the first meeting room. He had to tell the others there about this.

He knew who the key was now.

And it wasn't Kiyoshirou Ryuuhara.

* * *

The sight that greeted the Shinigami was expected by all except Getsushirou and Renhana –they didn't come during the last assault, and were staring at the sight before them, mouths slightly agape.

Like last time, time had frozen over to leave those that had nothing to do with this battle unscathed. All around them, people were suspended in a frozen-like state, with some of them placed in quite a precarious position.

As Hitsugaya and Matsumoto ran past the frozen people towards the door, he could see Getsushirou and Renhana running along the left hand side of the square. On the other side, were Ichigo, Rukia and Renji-who had decided not to bring his vice along with the excuse that he'd get in the way. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had taken a more noticeable position, running straight through the middle of the square.

As they approached the door, they could make out two figures that were Aizen and Gin. Suddenly, Hitsugaya heard battle cries from the left and right of the square. As he stopped to look he could see Getsushirou and Renhana facing off with the Arrancar called Ulquoirra; Ichigo and Rukia were handling the Arrancar Grimmjow and Renji was taking care of Wonderwyce. That left only him and Matsumoto.

Giving her a nod, and with the help of shunpo, they moved to the front of the door. Upon seeing them, Gin suddenly disappeared. Matsumoto quickly drew Haineko to block Shinsou as he reappeared in front of her, leaving only Hitsugaya to fight Aizen. Withdrawing Hyourinmaru, he looked at Aizen and waited.

All the man did was smile.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, what a surprise. I thought you wouldn't be here," Aizen said, the smile still evident on his face.

"What makes you say that?" Hitsugaya replied dryly, eyes narrowed and his grip on Hyourinmaru tightening.

"I thought you would have figured out already. I'm disappointed." Aizen sighed, shaking his head as he withdrew his sword as well.

"Figured out what?"

Suddenly, Aizen disappeared. Hitsugaya immediately brought his own sword to deflect the blow that was meant for his shoulder, but quickly redirected his sword to block the real Aizen's sword that was aiming for his middle, and took a quick sweep at Aizen. The man disappeared again and reappeared in front of the door, clutching his bleeding side. Strangely the man was still smiling.

"Well, it seems like you've developed quite a six sense to be able to parry Kyouka Suigetsu's total hypnosis," he said, getting up from his crouched position.

"But," Aizen continued. "It seems like you also haven't figured who the real key is."

Hitsugaya raised a brow but didn't have time to ponder on what Aizen had said as the man disappeared yet again. Closing his eyes, Hitsugaya focused on Aizen's reiatsu and parried another blow that was directed for his neck, slashing Aizen's shoulder. But despite the wound being deep, Aizen still threw blow after blow at Hitsugaya, with some of the coming into contact with the boy.

Because Hitsugaya was closing his eyes, he could not see how the others were doing, but their reiatsu were still present, thus confirming that they were still alive at least. Hitsugaya charged at Aizen this time, but the blow was parried easily. Suddenly Aizen stopped moving and Hitsugaya opened his eyes. He wasn't surprised that they were standing in different places as they had been moving about during the fight.

As Hitsugaya looked at Aizen, he still didn't understand why the man was still smiling when he was sporting quite a few serious injuries. As Hitsugaya was about to strike again, Aizen suddenly spoke.

"Do you know what the prophecy about the O-tenkagi is?"

Hitsugaya didn't answer, and Aizen didn't seem to need him to answer.

"The O-tenkagi is a spirit of the highest purity and contains a power beyond capacity, that's what you uncovered. But there's more to it. He will have wield a dragon made of winter purity and bear the color of purity, is the continuation to that."

Hitsugaya looked at Aizen as if he were a ghost. He had to be kidding. If it was true then… he would be the key, right? As if he had read his mind, Aizen answered that question.

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou, you're right."

Hitsugaya heard Matsumoto scream his name, telling him to watch out. But it was too late; in that one moment when he had let his guard down, Gin had pierced Shinsou through him. Blood was leaking out of the wound, and he could feel his consciousness slipping away.

It didn't help that he was standing on top of the array in front of the door.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" exclaimed Urahara.

They were in the first meeting room, when Byakuya had burst into the room saying that he had found something.

"It seems like we were wrong after all," Yoruichi murmured, letting out a hiss.

"A dragon of winter's purity would mean Hyourinmaru, and the color of purity is white," Byakuya explained quickly. "There's no mistaking it for anyone else."

"Then, the key is…!"Soi Fong cried, but was cut off when two messengers burst into the room.

"Kiyoshirou-taichou is not in her room!"

"The door is opening!"

A solemn silence descended upon the captains in the room.

"The O-tenkagi was Hitsugaya-taichou after all," Yamamoto sou-taichou commented sullenly.

* * *

_How's it? Good? Bad? How's the fight scene? What do you guys think? Did that clear up some of your questions and expectations? Please review and tell me. For now, I hide under a rock and plan the next chapter._


	8. Chapter 7:The Real KeyRegain YourResolve

_Yo, minna! How are you doing? Big apologies to BankotsuAngel on having you wait so long for this chapter, but I've been a bit tied up lately. Holidays are starting, so updates should be more frequent. I have two works in-pending after Frozen Memories, one a sequel to Frozen Memories and another AU fic. The only problem is the storyline is a bit shaky since I can't figure out a proper ending. The sequel is definite, but the AU is still in consideration (I only just got the idea for it). If any of you have any suggestion what to write, please tell me. They may give me more inspiration bunnies. Anyway, hope you all like this chapter as much as the last one. Enjoy!_

_Special thanks to Alliana Lyrena, Shichimaru Gin, Kitti, lucifer, 2stupid, Evil-usagi, BankotsuAngel, Yozora Nozomi, Jay Kamiya, SadisticHumour, Cerulean Soul, LiL DraGoNs2er, Yukiko Tsukishirou, OShayO, stealth67, Jess, Psycho Demon-Witch, soul collecter, Crazy Hyper Lady, oxXxSHoRTy CHaNxXxo and anime-girl98 for reviewing my last chapter._

_Disclaimer: Bleach, Hitsu-chan and the others don't belong to me. However, the storyline and OCs definitely belong to me. So ask for permission if you want to use them (if you even want to use them).

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_

**Frozen Memories**

Arc 2: The Real Key

Chapter 7: Regain Your Resolve

Hitsugaya glared at Aizen the best he could, but failed to do so miserably due the white spots dancing in front of his eyes as unconsciousness settled in. Clutching his bloodied side, he tried to at least sit up, but the last of his strength had left him. The fact he was bleeding heavily didn't help his current predicament.

He was the O-Tenkagi.

His blood was needed to open the door.

The O-Tenkagi was a sacrifice.

As much as he hated to admit it, Aizen had outwitted them this time. The fact that he was lying face down on an eerily glowing dark blue array on the verge of unconsciousness with a bleeding side was proof enough.

Hitsugaya couldn't die now, nor could he allow his blood to continue flowing onto the array, allowing it to glow as it did. He could hear the door behind him open inch by inch, slowly but steady. He couldn't let it open fully either, not with Aizen standing in front of him, waiting to pass through it; because if he did, the whole of Soul Society and the Human world would be doomed.

But no matter how much he willed himself, his body was already too weak to respond. As the bleak dark of unconsciousness took over him, he hoped fervently that Yamamoto sou-taichou would send someone capable of stopping Aizen.

* * *

Matsumoto couldn't help but begin to feel panicky. Hitsugaya's reiatsu was getting weaker and weaker by the minute, and by now, he would be unconscious and on the brink of death's door. His reiatsu may still be present-though very weak- at the moment, but it wouldn't be long before it would completely disappear.

When Gin had stabbed him, Matsumoto had wanted to rush to his side and assist him, but Gin had stopped her, attacking her with a little more vigor than before, pushing her further away from her captain and the steadily opening door. She was completely on the defensive, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't break through Gin's attack long enough to use shunpo and reach her captain. However, even so, he would stop her before she could reach Hitsugaya.

Their fight had been going on for around fifteen minutes, but to Matsumoto, it seemed like an eternity. Dodging a feint and bringing up Haineko to block a thrust from Shinsou, she uttered 'unare' below her breath, invoking her sword's shinkai. Immediately, Haineko burst into a cloud of dust-like tiny razors and flew towards Gin.

Matsumoto was going to show Gin how determined she was to reach Hitsugaya's side.

Even if she had to die trying.

* * *

Hitsugaya was sure he had been floating in a never ending darkness.

He hadn't been able to hear, see or feel anything then, but now as he looked around, feeling the wind thug at his hakama, hearing the birds serenade to the red sunset, he realized he had no idea where he was.

He was standing in a garden, in front of an old, lone sakura tree that stood there. A koi fish jumped out of the expansive pond in front of him. Over the pond was a beautifully carved wooden bridge, facing the veranda of a tiny house. Behind the house's shoji door, he could see the silhouette of an unknown person. As the figure drew closer and the shoji door slid open, he was surprised to see Ryuuhara step out from the shadows.

Ryuuhara no longer wore the standard Shinigami's robe and white captain's coat. Instead, she had traded them for more regal looking clothing. She was now clad in a three piece furisode, the first layer being snow white and the second a light blue. The last and outermost layer of the kimono was black in color, decorated with sakura petals that were scattered all over the kimono. All this was held together with a beige obi, its long ends trailing behind her. Her hair had been let down instead of tied up in the usual ponytail he was accustomed to seeing her in, framing her heart-shaped face in a halo of long dark hair.

Hitsugaya shook his head slightly to clear his muddled mind. All of this was coming to him fast, mixing together and becoming a jumbled mess in his mind. It was just a little too much to comprehend in a single day.

Upon seeing his confused stare, Ryuuhara merely smiled. "Surprised to see me, Hitsugaya-kun?"

"Where am I?" Hitsugaya managed to ask in his currently shocked state.

"You are currently at the Kaiya, the dimension house, where spirits that pass away in Soul Society await to be yet again reincarnated into the Human World."

"Then I'm dead?"

"Yes, you are. However it is not your time yet to pass through these doors." Ryuuhara emphasized, waving towards the shoji door behind her.

"Then who are you to be here?" Hitsugaya questioned, folding his arms in front of him and staring at her through narrowed eyes. "And what do you mean by it's not my time to pass yet?"

"To answer your first question," Ryuuhara began, meeting his gaze firmly. "I am the fifth Kashinkami, the spirit god that leads the souls to rebirth."

Hitsugaya nodded his head. Things were starting to get a bit clearer.

"As for your second question," she continued. "You came too early."

"Excuse me?"

"In truth, you should have come to Soul Society later," Ryuuhara explained. "Instead you came one hundred years earlier then the usual five hundred years meant due to unknown circumstances. If I had known, I would have already sent you on your way to rebirth like the other previous O-Tenkagi; unfortunately, I did not. And by the time I found out about you, you had already become known to Soul Society and even held a position in the Gotei 13. Making you simply disappear at this point was clearly impossible."

"At first I was planning to just leave you be and wait for your death. However, with the recent upheaval and Aizen's intentions to enter Senkai-or God's domain- crystal clear, I had no choice but to masquerade as a captain of Gotei 13 and make sure that nothing happened to you. But it seems that the Gotei 13 was foolish enough to send you straight into the enemy's open arms, thus the current situation."

"So now what?" A sudden thought struck Hitsugaya. "Your name is still Kiyoshirou Ryuuhara, is it?"

Ryuuhara smile deepened as she answered his question good-heartedly. "Yes, it was my given name before I become a Kashinkami."

"How did you become a Kashinkami?"

"I have no idea. I was just chosen to be one. However, you are the third O-Tenkagi I will be sending off, or rather back. I will pass on after this and reenter the wheel of life. As for what we are to do, I will send you back to your body."

Walking across the bridge, she took out a gold wooden box engraved with strange markings from her sleeve and handed it to Hitsugaya. Upon opening it, he saw a transparent sphere filled with a strange blue mist. He was taken by surprise when the sphere floated up from its place in the box and disappeared into his body.

Taking the now empty box from his hands, Ryuuhara explained that the sphere would give him the power to see past Aizen's illusions no matter how strong it was. After Aizen's defeat, the sphere would return to the box.

"So how do I get back to my body?" Hitsugaya enquired, looking around him.

"Turn around and walk past the sakura tree," Ryuuhara said, pointing in that direction. "You will then return to your body."

Giving her a curt nod, Hitsugaya made his way towards the tree. As he was about to pass the tree, Ryuuhara suddenly spoke.

"However, there is a condition upon your return."

* * *

Aizen watched with elated delight as the door groaned to a halt and opened fully. Ichimaru and the remaining Arrancar would be able to hold off the Shinigami and no matter how much they tried, he knew that he would be safely pass the doors before they could break through the Arrancar.

Looking at Hitsugaya's fallen form, he couldn't help but feel a moment of triumph. It had been by a stroke of luck that Soul Society hadn't found out who the real key was, and had instead sent him to Aizen's waiting arms. Now, even with the help of all the remaining captains in the Gotei 13, there was no way for Soul Society to correct the mistake that was done. After all, what had been done was done; there was no way to neither turn the clock around nor tell time to stop.

As he was about to pass through the door to god's realm, the door to victory and glory, a sudden spike of reiatsu stopped him in his tracks.

This reiatsu was palpably familiar, yet it shouldn't have been here.

It couldn't be true.

The owner of that reiatsu was supposed to be dead by now.

Any hope of that person being alive was a joke. Aizen had made sure of that with his own hands.

But as he looked past his shoulder to look behind him, he was shocked to see that this was no illusion.

* * *

Matsumoto was about ready to give up to the growing despair in her heart.

She was no closer to reaching Hitsugaya, unable to get pass Gin even with the help of two other captains. The many wounds she was sporting were not a good sign.

Hitsugaya's reiatsu had disappeared a few minutes ago, signaling his unfortunate death. Even with Inoue's skill and great power, there was nothing she could do for the dead.

The doors had already opened fully, giving Aizen entrance to the God's realm. He was too far away to be stopped by any of them.

All in all, the final conclusion was that there was no hope left anymore.

Looking at Hitsugaya's laying form, Matsumoto couldn't help but feel on the verge of tears. She had lost the second most important person in her life, and she had done nothing to help him at all.

Suddenly a familiar spike of reiatsu filled the air. Aizen was five steps away from the door when he stopped and looked over his shoulder and was shocked at what he saw. All around, the clash of swords ceased as they beheld the miracle that was happening before them.

But the one that was most surprised by what was happening was Matsumoto herself.

Slowly, a figure rose from his fallen state, blood dripping from the gaping wound at his side, albeit lesser than before. His hand was gripping his sword tightly, ready to fight. He faced Aizen with a level glare, reiatsu flaring and ready to charge.

Matsumoto could have cried now. Not from sorrow, but from joy at seeing him alive.

Hitsugaya Toushirou had miraculously risen from the dead.

* * *

_Alright, how was it? I hope it met your expectations. This chapter is slightly shorter than the last, but I hope it suited your needs. Next chapter's the big fight. I hope I can right it with the good amount of action and suspense. Whilst I do that, I plan for future projects. Until the next chapter, I bid you farewell._


	9. Chapter 8:The Real KeyFinal Flight

_Here I am, 8th chapter of Frozen Memories in hand! This chappy may be slightly shorter than the last chapter, but I hope to put that action-sense into this one. I'm going to need another beta besides the two I have because one of them barely replies back and the other has a ton of computer problems. So if you wanna beta Frozen Memories, drop me a private message. A lot of you seem happy that Hitsu-chan is alive…I don't think I'll spoil it for you by telling you anything about what's going to happen next. So just sit tight and read the chapter. I hope it pleases you like the one. Enjoy!_

_Special thanks to soulcollecter, Sesshoumaru Minion, Crazy Hyper Lady, Oxygen Pirate, 0Shay0, xzaboo, BankotsuAngel, Cerulean Soul, Random Reviewer, Yukiko Tsukishirou and yuki-tenshee for reviewing my last chapter._

_Disclaimer: Bleach, Hitsu-chan and the others don't belong to me, but the storyline and OCs belong to me, so ask permission if you want to use them (If you even want to use them).

* * *

_

**Frozen Memories**

Arc 2: The Real Key

Chapter 8: Final Flight

Hitsugaya could feel the power course through his veins. He felt stronger than before, as if this fight was his. All he was feeling was more likely due to the sphere that had imbedded itself temporarily into him. But, he knew from the knowledge that Ryuuhara had imparted to him before he left the Kaiya, that this would be his last and final battle.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on these facts. Now, was the time to defeat him- the man standing before him, looking at him with a stunned expression.

_And why wouldn't he_, thought Hitsugaya. He had just risen from the dead. He wasn't supposed to be here, yet he was standing in from of him, ready for battle.

The star-struck expression that Aizen had was replaced quickly with a calm facade. Facing Hitsugaya properly, Aizen folded his arms in front of him. "Well, well, Hitsugaya-taichou. Looks like I've underestimated you. My deepest apologizes."

Hitsugaya didn't say anything, bringing up his sword to take the position of seigan.

"I won't hold back this time," Aizen said. "You will die."

Suddenly, Aizen disappeared into thin air. He could hear Matsumoto gasp behind him. Quickly, he moved his sword to block the thrust aimed for his heart. The illusion disappeared and Aizen was swinging for his neck. Hitsugaya immediately parried that and swung at Aizen; the blade missed by a hair, nicking Aizen's gi.

Doing a round house turn, Hitsugaya thrusted; he could hear Matsumoto yell that Aizen was behind him, but his eyes told him a different story. He felt metal connect with flesh, digging deep into the bone. Hitsugaya performed a back flip to dodge a thrust. Looking at Aizen from this distance, he could guess that he had broken a few of the man's ribs.

Doing a quick shunpo, he took advantage of the current situation and aimed his sword at Aizen's heart. However this time, Aizen was ready, turning quickly to the left to avoid the attack and slashing downwards at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya hissed in pain as the sword connected with his shoulder, but managed to avoid it enough so that the sword missed slashing his arm off. Ignoring the wound, Hitsugaya decided to feint an attack at Aizen's neck, redirecting his sword at the last minute to cleave off Aizen's sword arm.

Aizen howled in pain. His face twisted into a grimace at the side of what was left of his hand. Wiping the grimace off his face quickly, Aizen picked up his sword with his left hand.

"That was a good strike, Hitsugaya-taichou," Aizen said, all traces of mirth gone. "But can you dodge this?"

As soon as Aizen finished his sentence, he disappeared. As sudden as that, Hitsugaya felt a sharp pain at his left side. He barely managed to dodge the attack aimed at deepening the wound Gin had inflicted on him. However, the contact with the sword caused the wound to start bleeding again.

Hitsugaya clicked his tongue, bringing his sword up in a shinken position by his side. With his reiatsu burning an icy blue, Hitsugaya leaped into the air, quickly invocating Hyourinmaru's shinkai. The ice dragon materialized around him as the sky darkened, clouds turning a dark grey.

With a flick of his wrist, Hitsugaya sent the dragon charging at Aizen. Aizen jumped in time to dodge the ice dragon, escaping the icy torrent of water that would have engulfed him. However with another turn of his hand, Hitsugaya sent the dragon upwards, ensnaring Aizen in its jaws. The dragon immediately sent him flying through the nearest window.

As Hitsugaya shielded his eyes from the dirt and debris that flew from the building, he felt a presence at his right. Turning around, he was surprised to see Aizen standing there. The stump of his right hand was engulfed in ice, and rivulets of blood streamed down his face and other hand.

Hitsugaya himself was sporting a few wounds, the deepest ones being on his shoulder and side. They were both worse for the wear and didn't have much time left.

Without Hitsugaya's blood, the door was beginning to close.

Deciding that it was time to end this battle, Hitsugaya invocated his Bankai, making the wounds stop bleeding and ice encased his back and sword arm. At the same time, the aura around Aizen changed as the man too used Bankai.

Looking at the spot Aizen had been standing at, Hitsugaya was surprised to see not one, but three Aizens.

Using the power of the sphere, Hitsugaya saw through the deception and attacked the Aizen on the far left. The other illusions dispelled as Aizen desperately parried Hitsugaya's attack.

Hitsugaya immediately used Housenka, ice engulfing the man and dispersing Aizen into a thousand ice shards, destroying the man completely.

As the ice surrounding Hitsugaya began to disappear, blood was beginning to pour from his wounds again and unconsciousness started to settle in again.

Swaying a bit, Hitsugaya collapsed into Matsumoto's arms and succumbed to the darkness, glad that Aizen was finally defeated.

* * *

_Okay, this chapter is bloody short and the action scene was a bit cheesy for all I care. But seriously, what do you readers think? You may go ahead and flame me if you wish. I'll try to make the next chapter longer as compensation. Review please. It only takes a push of the purple button on the bottom left hand of the screen and a minute of your time. __Until the next chapter, I bid you farewell._


	10. Chapter 9:Crumbling IceFade intothe Past

_Hi hi minna! I'm back! Phew… It's been a nice journey but we've almost reached the end. 2-3 more chapters and Frozen Memories will end. Sad, isn't it? But don't worry; I'm planning a sequel, so sit tight. I had some trouble figuring out what to write, but I think I know what I'm doing. Oh yes, for my new betas besides feathersnow and Kero, I've so far got two responses, and well, since I had no idea whom to chose, I'm picking both! Normally, I'd want at most three betas, but this time I'll make and exception. Congrats! Now enough of the small talk and let's carry on to the story. I hope you like this chapter as much as the last. Enjoy!_

_Special thanks to Oxygen Pirate, Alliana Lyrena, Primeval Eidolon Scar, Sesshoumaru Minion, Crazy Hyper Lady, Ana Regina, stealth67, 0Shay0, BankotsuAngel, Cerulean Soul, yuki-tenshee, feathersnow and Yukiko Tsukishirou for reviewing my last chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Hitsu-chan and the others. However I don't own the storyline and OCs, so ask permission first if you want to use them (If you even want to use them).

* * *

_

**Frozen Memories**

Arc 3: Crumbling Ice

Chapter 9: Fade into the Past

The bright flash of light that invaded his half muddled sight was painful. Blinking a few times, Hitsugaya finally managed to get his vision to clear and looked around his surroundings. It came as no surprise to him that he was in the fourth division compound, his wounds already cleaned and bandaged, not to mention the fresh white robe he was wearing.

What was surprising was the sight of Renhana lying on his bedside, head in hands and fast asleep. Even with his groggy vision it was easy to see that she hadn't slept in quite a while. The dark circles around her eyes were proof of that.

"You're awake," Hitsugaya turned to see Matsumoto enter the room. "You've been unconscious for a week."

"A week?" Hitsugaya said tentatively. It seemed like some time had already been wasted.

"Yes. She's never left your side for more than ten minutes, you know."

Hitsugaya didn't respond to Matsumoto's statement. Instead he looked at the woman lying on his bedside.

"You should do something about this family feud thingy," Matsumoto continued, "It may help somewhat. That way you wouldn't have a hopeful mother following you around twenty-four-seven."

Hitsugaya didn't ask how she knew. Matsumoto seemed capable of keeping this to herself. Not as if this was any secret anyway.

But know wasn't time to ponder on such things.

Renhana was waking up.

She stirred a little and woke with a start, head jerking up almost immediately and eyes coming into contact with his; ocean blue met hazel as they stared at each other, faces mere inches away from each other, neither daring to say anything to the other.

Hitsugaya was saved from further embarrassment at the compromising position when Unohana-taichou entered with her vice captain trailing behind her.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-taichou, it seems that you have finally woken up," Unohana-taichou commented, a serene smile evident on her face. Renhana immediately stood up, bowed at Unohana-taichou and flew out of the room.

Unohana-taichou did a few check ups on Hitsugaya's condition, muttering about how it was a miracle that he was alive after receiving such fatal wounds. But he paid little attention to what she was saying; instead staring out of the window, pondering on the advice that Matsumoto had just given him.

'_You should do something about this family feud thingy. It may help somewhat.'_

Matsumoto was right. It would help, especially since his time left here was limited. Not to mention he had spent a week bed-ridden and unconscious. It was about time to settle things with her.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, are you listening to what I'm saying?" Unohana-taichou asked.

Hitsugaya snapped back to reality when he heard Unohana-taichou's voice, immediately answering her question.

"My deepest apologies, Unohana-taichou," Hitsugaya said apologetically. "I confess that my mind wandered for a while there."

"That's all right. Your injuries are healing perfectly; you are able to leave the hospital in about two days. I merely wish to advice you not to overwork yourself for the time being."

Hitsugaya nodded his head. Unohana-taichou merely smiled at his approval and left the room to attend to other patients. Matsumoto soon left after being reassured that he wasn't going to die any moment just yet.

Looking out of his window, he could see the sky clearly. Captains had the privilege to keep their privacy and were normally situated in the highest floor of the fourth division hospital, away from all the hustle and bustle in the below levels, thus making this floor the closest to the sky.

Hitsugaya stared at the blue sky, looking at the clouds pass by. One hundred yeas had passed since he first came to Soul Society, and he had been a tiny boy of eight then. He had been short for his age and still was, not even hitting puberty yet. Smiling wryly, he remembered the good old days- when he and Hinamori first met, when time had passed by slowly and days where spent with his feet dipped in the stream and counting the days when his patch of watermelon would ripen and be ready to harvest. He had come far from being a normal little brat in the first district of Rukongai to the captain of the tenth division of the Gotei 13. Time had lost even more meaning then.

But now, he knew his days were numbered, and time had started to move again in a brisk fast pace he wasn't used to.

* * *

Renhana peeked past the wall, looking at Hitsugaya through the corner of her eye. It had been three days since he had been dismissed from the fourth division relief center, yet he was already up and working like he always did. It was as if the incident of the past months had not happened and nothing had changed. 

As he rounded another corner, Renhana immediately followed behind, careful not to let the one she was trailing notice her. But she was sure he had noticed her many times before. He was just choosing to ignore her.

Peeking again, she noticed that he was using a different route this time. Following quickly behind, she was surprised to see him leave through the west Rukongai gate. Taking no notice, she followed him out.

He more likely had an errand to do out in Rukongai.

As they traveled further, Hitsugaya took a turn to his left and headed towards the forest. Renhana followed him vigilantly. She wasn't going to lose him.

Suddenly, he stopped in an empty clearing with only a stream that passed through it.

"Come out, Renhana. I know you are there."

Renhana was shocked to say the least. This was the first time since they had met in the first meeting room that he had wanted to speak to her willingly. Peeking from behind the tree, she saw that he was looking in her direction. It seems that he had known that she was there all along.

With a sigh, she appeared out from behind the tree line. Walking over to where Hitsugaya was, she wondered silently why he wanted to talk to her. It must be important if he hadn't wanted anyone to hear.

"We need to sort out a few things," he began, staring at her in the eye. She met that stare with her own.

"You need to stop all this nonsense. It's unbecoming of a vice-captain."

His words hit her like a hard slap to her face. She was unable to think of what to say, instead gaping at him like a huge idiot.

"W-what are you talking about?" she managed to stammer out after her initial shock. "I'm your mother for crying out loud! Why would my actions be…?"

"Does stalking and spying count as motherly gestures," Hitsugaya stated, cutting off her protest.

"Well, giving you the sweets was," she muttered below her breath, protesting weakly.

"I didn't ask you to give me those things; you gave them to me yourself. I didn't ask you secretly slip into my room just to give me little sweets."

That was enough to clam her up effectively.

"You were my mother in my living life, I'll admit that," Hitsugaya continued, ignoring the spark of hope that ignited in Renhana's eyes at the hope of still being accepted as her mother. "However, that was then. After I'm reincarnated, that role will fall to someone else. It's too late now to rekindle such feelings. Let all of this fade into the past."

The light in her eyes disappeared. Hitsugaya had just slapped it into her face that he was never going to accept her as her mother. Even with the explanation, she couldn't help but feel like her heart had broken into two, and she couldn't help but let the tears flow.

Turning around, she asked, "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" She wasn't going to let him see her tears.

Hitsugaya just nodded to the affirmative.

"Oh," was all she said, and she began to walk away.

She needed to go somewhere to fix her broken heart together.

* * *

Hitsugaya watched as she left the clearing. He knew he had broken her heart in the worst way possible, but that was that. There was no turning back now.

Looking around the clearing, he sighed.

This would more likely be the last time he saw this place.

But this was no time to reminisce on the events that will happen. Right now he had other things to do.

Turning around in the opposite direction, he made his way back to Soul Society.

* * *

_Well, that's that. In truth, the clearing I spoke of is very like the clearing that was mentioned in Jedi Boadicea's 'Frozen Sky', where Hitsugaya finally achieved Bankai. I apologize to Jedi Boadicea if this offends you in anyway. The idea just came to me, and when I looked through the story, I realized that it bore similarities to the clearing mentioned in 'Frozen Sky'. Again, I'm so sorry; anyway, banzai on the fact that Frozen Memories has reached a hundred over reviews. Yay! So what do you think of the chappy? Review and tell me please. Next chapter will be the last. Until then, I bid you farewell!_


	11. Chapter 10:Crumbling IceGoodbye Days

_Hi hi again! I took the liberty of reposting this chapter since you guys said it was short. There isn't much change, except that I elongated the final part. Hope you like it!_

_Special thanks to Sleeve of White Snow, Crazy Hyper Lady, Sesshoumaru Minion, stealth67, toushirou no hana, 0Shay0 and yuki-tenshee for reviewing my last chapter._

_Disclaimer: Bleach, Hitsu-chan and the others don't belong to me. However, the storyline and OCs do.

* * *

_

**Frozen Memories**

Arc 3: Crumbling Ice

Chapter 10: Good-bye Days

It had been a month since the event with the door and O-Tenkagi, but looking at Hitsugaya do paperwork vigorously, Matsumoto couldn't help but feel like nothing had changed at all.

Winter was arriving soon, the weather was getting colder and the layer of clothing they had to wear was increasing. It wouldn't be long now before the first snow fell.

Lying on the couch as usual, she couldn't help but reminisce about events that had taken place after Aizen's defeat. The remaining Arrancar were destroyed with the help of the captains that had come upon the realization who the real O-Tenkagi was. Gin however, had managed to evade capture and now his whereabouts remained a mystery. Ryuuhara had also strangely disappeared after the battle, and no matter how much they searched the entire Soul Society they couldn't find her anywhere. It was as if she had vanished of the face of the world.

Renhana, she had noticed, had stopped asking her questions about her captain, neither sneaking into his office to drop treats nor shadowing him everywhere anymore. Hitsugaya more likely had downright made it clear to her that he would never accept her as kin, by the glares Getsushirou had began directing at him since two and a half weeks ago, around the time when Renhana had stopped stalking Hitsugaya.

As much she hated to admit, Hitsugaya hadn't been himself lately. She had actually seen him eat watermelons the other day, and had nearly fainted from shock. He had also visited Hinamori's grave a few time, looking at it with an expression that disturbed Matsumoto.

It was that strange forlorn look, as if he was going to die.

Shaking her head, Matsumoto decided she must be worrying to much. He had just escaped death, a miracle Unohana-taichou had even commented on.

There was no way he was going to die.

* * *

Hitsugaya sighed. It had been a month since that incident. This would be his last day here.

Time was coming to an end.

Getting up, Hitsugaya walked over to the couch where Matsumoto was lying on. Prodding her slightly, he woke her up and asked her to accompany him out on a walk.

Matsumoto looked surprised but didn't say anything. Instead, she picked herself up from the couch and proceeded to follow him out of the tenth division compound. As they turned left, they walked further away from the main Gotei 13 buildings. By the look on her face, Matsumoto was starting to get confused. But still she said nothing.

Soon, they reached an isolated spot of Seireitei. This was an ideal place in Hitsugaya's mind. With that, he turned to face her.

He could feel the stinging of the wound Gin had inflicted on him but ignored it. For now, he had to explain what was going to happen to Matsumoto, lest she feel responsible for all this when the time comes.

"Matsumoto," he began with the most serious expression he could muster. "I have something I need to tell you."

Matsumoto looked at him intently, waiting for him to continue.

"What I'm about to tell you may shock you somewhat, but please don't blame yourself for all of this."

A confused look and a nod; he knew he was stalling but he couldn't help it. Out of all the people in Gotei 13 she would be the one to take this the hardest.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself.

"Matsumoto, I'm…"

A jolt of pain stopped him from uttering anything. Clutching his side, he felt a warm liquid began to flow onto his hands.

The look of horror on her face was distinctive, even with his blurring vision.

* * *

Matsumoto's confusion turned to terror when she saw the blood red colour began to seep onto Hitsugaya's white captain cloak.

She quickly moved to stop her captain from falling face first. Lying him down gently, she pondered on what to do. She had to bring Hitsugaya to the fourth division relief center but they were so far away, and his wounds were too serious to move him around. Matsumoto had decided to use shunpo to reach the fourth division and call Unohana-taichou when she felt a hand grab her wrist.

"Don't," Hitsugaya managed to gasp out. "Just stay here with me."

"But…" Matsumoto began.

"This was going to happen anyway," Hitsugaya said, cutting her off. "Nothing you do will be able to change that."

"What do you mean?"

"This was the condition in which I was allowed to fight Aizen."

* * *

"_You will die one month after now," Ryuuhara explained. "You weren't supposed to live this life. That only happened because of my mistake. They know what you are now. If anyone were to attempt the same thing as Aizen they'd go after you. I can't have that happen."_

"_One month, right?" Hitsugaya asked, without turning around._

"_Yes."_

"_Then alright; I accept your condition."_

"_I had an idea you would say that."_

* * *

"Why?" Matsumoto whispered.

"If I didn't Aizen would have won. I wasn't supposed to live this life anyway."

There was silence as neither had any idea what to say. Matsumoto had lent her lap to Hitsugaya to lie on as she held onto his hand. A pool of blood had accumulated at his side and his shoulder wound had reopened, staining his hair and face whilst dirtying her robes.

"I'm sorry." She finally said, breaking the silence.

"Don't be," Hitsugaya snorted. "I've already told you before. This isn't your fault."

"Even so, I'm still sorry."

"You know, Matsumoto. I have wondered whether it would have been better if I had never appeared in Soul Society. Like that, everyone wouldn't have had to suffer so much and Aizen's plans wouldn't have worked."

"Don't say that," she murmured, glaring at him sharply.

"Hn," Hitsugaya grunted. "But, I'm still glad I got to live here. I got to meet you and Hinamori. It may have been short but it was an enjoyable hundred years."

Matsumoto could feel his reiatsu getting weaker and weaker.

"If we're lucky, let's meet again somewhere."

"Don't kid like that, taichou. It's not funny."

Matsumoto could feel the tears forming in her eyes but held them back. She wouldn't cry now, not with her captain looking at her.

"Sayonara, Rangiku," he whispered, barely audible; but to her eyes, it was loud and clear.

His hand suddenly felt very cold, as the last of his warmth left his body and the last of the color drained from his face. His grip loosened and his reiatsu disappeared completely.

Looking at his blood stained face, it looked so serene, so peaceful, like he was asleep.

A sleep he would never wake up from.

"Taichou, wake up."

He wouldn't wake up. She knew that.

"This isn't a joke anymore."

This was no joke. She knew that.

"Taichou, you can't be dead."

He was dead. She knew that as well.

"Taichou, please…"

But somewhere in her heart, she just couldn't believe it.

She couldn't believe that he was dead yet.

As her tears fell, the sky darkened and the wind blew coldly.

"Listen to me...Come back..."

But the dead could not hear, nor could they return.

"Don't leave me alone...Taichou..."

The flakes that fell remained on his pale skin as it began to snow.

**Owari

* * *

**

_All right, that's that. How's the repost? I thought since you people thought the ending was too short I elongated it slightly. I hope it was enough. Anyway, the sequel should be up soon so sit tight. _

_Special thanks to soulcollecter, Nyu Kitsune, stealth67, Oxygen Pirate, Crazy Hyper Lady, yyhpunk, Sleeve of White Snow, Cerulean Soul, BankotsuAngel, Yukiko Tsukishirou, yuki-tenshee, 0Shay0, Sesshoumaru Minion and Lady Light for reviewing for the previous post of this chapter. _

_Until the next story I write, I bid you farewell. _


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